School of Medicine Receives International Award

The University of New Mexico’s (UNM) School of Medicine (SOM) has been internationally recognized with the prestigious ASPIRE-to-Excellence Award for Social Accountability.

The award was established in 2012 by the Association for Medical Education in Europe, the world’s largest medical education organization, and focuses on a department’s social accountability plans within the organization, its education and research programs and partnerships on health care in its community.

Only 10 medical schools around the world were chosen for the award, and of those, only three were distinguished as exemplars, including UNM.

“We have taken pride in ensuring curriculum, principles and core values at the UNM School of Medicine focus on the role we, as medical providers, play in our communities,” said Dr. Paul B. Roth, MD, MS, UNM’s Chancellor for the Health Sciences and dean of the School of Medicine.

“Being internationally recognized alongside these other wonderful institutions of higher learning validates that our work to inspire the next generation of medical professionals has not gone unnoticed.”

The award announcement was made in Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The publication described the School of Medicine as “a pioneering institution in social accountability in medical education. Since its inception, UNMSOM has included service to the state of New Mexico as a clear priority and has focused on improving the population’s health and health equity as a measure of the institution’s success.”

The paper also showcases the fact that in 2017, UNM School of Medicine had more matches for graduating medical students in family medicine residencies than any other medical school in the United States. In 2011 UNM was selected by the Beyond Flexner Alliance as one of six schools most fulfilling their obligation to society through its admissions process, undergraduate and graduate programs and student support initiatives.